Medically reviewed by Dr. Muhammad Ashraf Shera.
Your everyday life has many activities and social media makes up a huge part of those activities. We are constantly uploading pictures, tweeting live news and stalking others on social media. There are times when we feel insecure because we constantly compare ourselves to models or celebrities. Moreover, we feel like we fall way below successful people. This causes us to go into an endless loom of despair and sadness.
But, is depression actually happening because of social media or is it just one of the causes of it? It’s important to figure out whether social media is behind people getting depressed or not.
Reasons why social media can lead to your depressive episodes
All of us are active on social media but, this might turn out to be harmful for us. Some of the reasons that might lead to depressive episodes are:
- This platform gives us a chance to connect with people and keep in touch with them. But, it might be possible that social media is also one of the reasons that leads to depression. This is because people might be spending much less time connecting with their peers in person and more time connecting electronically, principally through social media.
- People also tend to feel isolated because of social media. There are times that we find out through social media that we haven’t been invited to a party, which leads to us being upset.
- Social media tends to be the reason of loss of self-esteem. This is because people compare themselves with other prettier people online. There have been reports where social media is on the list of things that causes anxiety.
- You might have heard of the term ‘Health is wealth’, but people on social media don’t actually realize the meaning behind it. People might feel upset because they do not have much psychical activity in their lives.
- All of us need to sleep to function, but because of social media we are having sleepless nights. This is because we are always checking our phones and following each and every notification. This might be a reason of us feeling upset, because a sleepless night definitely makes us moody.
So, do I continue using my phone?
Yes, you definitely can. And, you are probably reading this blog through a phone so do not stop using it completely. Instead, try to keep a check on yourself when you are using it. Social media doesn’t cause depression but it can certainly put you in a depressive phase because you might feel insecure of the way you look or because your friends/family members are doing much better than you. Sometimes it is better to disconnect and take time off social media. All in all, social media can be a reason for your depression but it cannot be the sole cause it. So keep using your phone but not that much that it takes over your life.
Guest Credits: Asma Qadri
